COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OF LOCAL POTENTIAL-BASED TOURISM DESTINATIONS: EVIDENCE FROM INDONESIA

Abstract

Tourism is a leading sector of multidimensional development that is the focus of attention of national and regional governments around the world, including Indonesia to enter the New Normal Local Economy (NENOLE) era. One of the strategies of choice in fostering tourist interest in visiting one of the preferred strategies in fostering tourist interest in visiting tourism destinations or tourist attraction objects (TAO) in Indonesia is through the re-realization of the SaptaPesonaTourism (SPT) program. This developmental descriptive study aims to explain the results of the re-actualization of the SPT program as a source of competitive advantage based on local competence in Toraja Indonesia. Data were collected through observation, interviews, focus group discussions, and documentation. The descriptive-qualitative analysis technique used follows the stages of the interactive model, namely data collection, data condensation, data presentation, conclusion drawing/verification. The results showed that the creation of physical, socio-psychological, and ecological (environmental) situations and conditions in most tourism destinations or TAO actualized the SPT program with high results. Created situations and conditions that provide a sense of security and comfort because the psychological, social, and physical environment is orderly, clean, cool, friendly, and beautiful so that it is memorable for tourists and all interested parties. This reality shows that the preconditions (requirements) that accommodate the development of a core strategy in the form of the embodiment of the elements of SPT and a resource-based strategy approach combined with a market-based strategy approach are appropriate to be used as approaches strategy to increase the competitiveness of tourism destinations based on local competencies owned.